Stone Z

I've never owned a set of Nitto's, but I've never heard anything positive.

SHO-TIME

iTrader: (9)

I had Nitto 450 Ext. Perf. on my previous car and I liked how sticky they are. That's why I decided to go with Nitto's again. So far, I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

This tire size setup was recommended by America Tire rep who looked up "Manual Touring, Nissan 350Z" on his computer. The sizes 245-40 (f) and 275-40 (r) were the direct replacements for the stock 225-45 (f) and 245-45 (r), respectively. So unless someone can convince me that it is proven to be unsafe to put on 275's on 8" wide rims.... I'll keep this set up. And when you say it's unsafe, please provide supporting information (i.e., authorative literature, automotive magazine quotes, etc.) Don't just say "I wouldn't do it" and leave it at that.

Appearance wise, they look very aggressive and mean... but since they are so sticky, I'm not sure if I can chirp my tires anymore.... I'm sure I can but I won't try it. Someone told me that every one second that I chirp my tire, the tire life decreases by 200 miles. I don't want to sound cheap or anything... but man, these tires are not that cheap.

alex30327

Does anyone have an opinion on the ideal tire size for the 18 inch Z wheels? (besides the stock tire size)?

Apexi350z

iTrader: (3)

before SLVR Z, I think the ideal size were:

235/40r18 front

255/40r18 rear


but after SLVR Z, it's now:

245/40r18 front

275/40r18 rear

discount tires actually suggested these size with Plus 0 configuration. But it didn't say if it's for stock rims or not..

Throbber

Beautiful Avatar Alex....

Is it 4:20 yet??

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

First off, the tires look great! I was considering stepping up to this size configuration, and if they look that good on the 8" rims, they should look even better on the 8.5" rear Rays! I do have a few questions, though that perhaps you could answer...

1. can you describe a little better the differences (better or worse) you notice in ride quality with these tires in the following areas: A. general ride quality (smoothness or harshness of ride compared to stock) B. road noise C. any noticable tracking of road grooves.

2. Is there any difference in steering feel with the wider fronts? Some have been concerned about a heavier steering feel.

3. Have you noticed any noticable decrease in your 0-60 times or accelleration performance in general due to the higher rotational mass of the tires over stock?

4. Can you estimate the amount of clearance from the edge of the fender? The Rays wheels are 8.5" wide and have a 33mm offset, so they stick out toward the outside of the car 3mm more. Do you think I would have any rubbing issues?

Thanks.

D'oh

Apexi, SLVR,

Thanks for the info regarding the wheel size. I, too, thought it was settled at 18X8 all around, but the sticky at the top threw me for a loop.

Thanks for the additional confirmation.

-D'oh!

SHO-TIME

iTrader: (9)

Nice choise! I want those Track wheels. I originally wanted 19 inchers but I realized, from my past experiences, that I prefer more carefree driving as opposed to keep watching the road constantly for potholes. Here are my answers to your questions:

A) Ride quality has improved. It has become smoother due to added cushion provided by additional rubber.

B)I haven't really noticed any change in road noise. BUt then, I always drive with my windows closed. All I hear is the stock intake, engine and stock exhaust. They are pretty audible.

C) As for tracking of road grooves.... I haven't noticed any change in this either. If anything, it's smoother due to the fact that the wider tires are covering up the grooves as they drive over them. (I'll have to drive more to see if my opinion changes in this.)

Steering feel changed a bit when driving slowly. With the stock wheels, when I tried slow-speed *wave* by shaking the steering wheel left & right, the car moved very sharply and the movement was very crisp. After the wider tire install, I tried the slow-speed "wave" again, and noticed that the crispness has diminished a little bit. At slow speed, the steering feels a bit heavier than stock tires.

I havne't done 0-60 in my stock nor my new tires. So I don't have any scientific data. But the car does feel as if it needs a slight extra push to start off the line. That is... from a 0 mph (stand still). But from a rolling stop, there is plenty of power to keep these tires rolling and accelarating faster. (I'm sure this is the similar to having 19 inchers with wider tires on the car.)

Since my car is not lowered, the tires are not tucked in. So there is no rubbing problems. Even if you have wider width rims and higher offset wheels, the clearance between the tire and the fender should not change too much. Therefore, I don't think there will be rubbing issues at all. (IF the wheels had lower offsets, meaing the tires sitting closer inward, then there might be a problem.)

But FYI, I measured the gap between the top corner of the tire (where the tread and sidewall meets) to the wheel well as below:
Front: approximately 2.1"
Rear: approximately 1.9"


I'm not sure if I answered your questions the way you wanted to be answered.... but hope it hellps.

I have a qustion for you.... where, how and how much did you get your Track wheels for??? I might be interested in upgrading to stock Rays if the price is right. If not, I'll save up and get myself some other wheels (maybe Volks) in 18's. I like driving fast w/o having have to slow down for potholes.

MustGoFastR

iTrader: (13)

Thanks for the info, its really helpful. I spent alot of time last night on Tirerack's site comparing tires and am torn between the S-03s and the Kumho MXs. The Kumhos are about $100 less per set for the 245/275 setup over either the stock sizes or the larger sizes of the S-03s and are a few pounds lighter per tire. The S-03s are rated higher accross the board, especially in wet traction, which is handy in Houston since this will be my daily driver. I'm sure either tire in any size would be an improvement in ride quality over the RE040s. I just don't know if having the look of the wider tires is worth sacrificing a little off the line and less precise steering. I wish I could see some pics of the S-03s in the stock size on the car; they're bound to look better than the RE040s due to the more aggressive tread pattern and contact patch. Decisions, decisions...

As for the wheels, I picked them up early for $1500/set from someone with a Track who was putting on 19s. They pop up occasionally here or on Ebay for sale, though I haven't seen what they've been going for lately. I think I got a pretty good deal though.

SHO-TIME

iTrader: (9)

Just for info....

here is another person with a 275 series tires on the rear... on his 20" wheels.

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....798#post156798

articfury

I am not going to try to convince you but you may want to check out the approved rim sizes for those tires from the manufacturer.

Here is a link from Nitto's site regarding tire size and rim size. You will notice the recommended sizes are 9, 9.5, 10 inch. You will also notice that 255/45 is the largest size recommended for an 8 inch wheel, and 8.5 inch is the wheel size for the measuring wheel for that size. "For tires that have an aspect ratio lower than a 50-series, the measuring rim is 85% of the tire's section design width" - Source Yokohama and ETRTO.

If you check with most other manufacturers, you will find the same data. I tend to error on the side of the manufacturer, not the guy selling me the tires computer.

Now you may feel safe going outside a manufacturers specification. At the least, they specify that this may cause poor service, or worse tire failure. Do you really want to chance it with your personal safety, not to mention the other people on the road? If you want 275s, buy some new wheels.

JD

belkmike

The laws of physics determine how much rubber is contact with the ground, not tire size. If you run your tires at 36PSI then each square inch of contact supports 36lbs of car. Wide tires have a contact patch that is very wide but not deep. Very narrow tires are exactly the opposite.

C&D once performed an experiment on a Prelude. They were sure wider tires would improve track times. Exactly the opposite happened. Aerodynamic drag from the increased frontal area of the wider tires overwhelmed the small improvement in handling due to the stiffer sidewalls. Honda had picked the optimal tire for the Prelude.

jreiter

iTrader: (6)

To add to what Arcticfury posted up above, here are the manufacturer's specs for the Bridgestone S02 and S03 tires:

http://www.bridgestonetire.com/dpp/s...sproductid=227

275/40ZR18 - 9.0" to 11.0"

I have to admit, I personally would be a bit hesitant to run a tire outside of the manufacturer's recommendations.

Vlad

If I remember right, the rule of thumb is for every 20mm of tire width increase you should increase your rim by .5 inch, rounding. So I'd say, you are .75 to 1 inch off for your rears. I don't know if it really dangerous, but I can see that sidewalls will perform/deform quite different depends on angle.

wadd3456

iTrader: (1)

Im still debating on weather i will be daring enough to do a 275 35 19 on my 8" axis wheels.

WHY ARENT THEY WIDER!!!!! ERRRRRRRRr

SHO-TIME

iTrader: (9)

OKAY... everyone. Thanks for your inputs! I have been doing my own research "after-the-fact" and found out that the 275 is a bit too wide for 8" wide wheels. I went back to America Tires today to discuss with them about my research and here is what I found out.

1. America Tire has a dedicated full time employee who goes to the auto manufacturer (In my case, NISSAN) and find out what the width of the wheels are for each models.

2. The recommended tire size was not for 8" wide wheels but 8.5" wide wheels:

Data at the America Tire (Discount Tire) on wheels was wrong for Performance/ Touring 6 SP Manual models and listed that the wheel sizes were 8" in front and 8.5" in rear. I don't know if this is a simple data entry error or misinformation given by Nissan.

3. The wheels are 8" all around. The Manager measured all four wheels and confirmed the width of each and every wheel.

4. Nissan's ABS has specifications for tire size differences. I don't remember exactly what it is... but something like the tire height difference between front and rear can not be less than 1/2 and more than 3/4. Otherwise, the ABS and traction control will not work correctly. (I'm not sure about the exact numbers....)

Bottom line....275 is too wide for 8" wheels!!!
The Manager at America Tire believes 275 is too wide to be fitted on 8" wide wheels. If the wheel was 9" wide or wider, then the tire would have been perfect. I could not keep the 245 in the front and go with 255 in the rear due to the #4 stated above. So I'm reverting back to the original sizes: 225/45/18 (f) and 245/45/18 (r). But they are giving me the super sticky Bridgestone SO-3's! Due to their *screw up*, they are taking care of the price differences between the NITTO's and SO-3's. The tires are not in yet... so as soon as I have'm I'll post pix later on.

Wadd:
I wouldn't do it on 8" wide wheels.

Apexi350z

iTrader: (3)

Damn, just when I thought it's the right upgrade for me

so I guess it's back to:

235/40r18 front
255/40r18 rear

that should be safe right?

(forgot if it was 40series or 45series)

Moroccan_Mole

iTrader: (5)

yea ... you can go with the 255/40/18 on the rear for stock 8" wheels ... and it should be ok.

wadd3456

iTrader: (1)

Yeah but what about us 19" guys?!?!? Its hard to find a size that works!

jreiter

iTrader: (6)

For you folks who are wondering about what size tire will safely fit on your rims... why don't you just go to the tire manufacturers' websites and check the specs for the tires you are considering. They will list exactly what rim sizes they feel are acceptable for each tire size.